The biggest threat to America's security and prosperity comes not from abroad but from within. In this provocative and thought-provoking presentation modeled after his book, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order, Haass describes how the biggest threat to the United States comes from its burgeoning deficit and debt, crumbling infrastructure, second class schools and an outdated immigration system. The result is a country less competitive and more vulnerable than it should be on the global stage. He proposes a new foreign policy of Restoration. At home, it would concentrate on restoring the economic foundations of American power. Overseas, it would stop trying to remake the Middle East with military force as was tried unsuccessfully in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, it would emphasize maintaining the balance of power in Asia, promoting economic integration and energy self-sufficiency in North America, and narrowing the gap between global challenges and global arrangements. Adopting Restoration will ensure the United States has the resources it needs to lead the world, set an example other societies will want to emulate, reduce the country’s vulnerability to hostile forces and fickle markets, and discourage would-be adversaries from mounting aggression. It will require hard choices, but hard choices are called for. At stake is nothing less than America’s future and the character of the coming era of history.

President Obama continues to face an ever-growing daunting slate of foreign policy challenges: war in Afghanistan; turmoil and unrest in North Africa and the Middle East; a global struggle against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups; nuclear development by North Korea and Iran; a rising China; an increasingly assertive Russia and the need for measures to meet global challenges such as climate change, rising energy and the future of nuclear power around the world. Formerly a senior aide to Secretary of State Colin Powell and before that to President George H. W. Bush, Haass explains the major issues facing U.S. foreign policy and outlines what President Obama and Congress will need to do both at home and abroad to promote stability in the world.

President Obama inherited a global economic slowdown, large and growing deficits, a mushrooming national debt,and a weak dollar. This unprecedented confluence of circumstances continues to significantly alter international relations as economic forces generate instability within countries, trigger multiple forms of protectionism, and constrain U.S. power and influence. Richard Haass looks at how political developments—for example, a crisis involving Iran or Pakistan or Russia—could make difficult situations far worse. He assesses existing policies and international institutions and what the US and others need to do to increase the odds of a sustained global recovery.

International business leaders today face more complex risks and opportunities than ever before. They must navigate not only traditional business issues but also political ones, ranging from corporate social responsibility and climate change to political instability and backlashes against globalization. Haass, president of the country’s most influential foreign policy organization and author of an acclaimed book on management, analyzes the environment in which today’s business leaders operate, one that is increasingly transparent, demanding, and crowded with a wide array of players. He draws on his experience at the top levels of government and working with business to offer lessons on how business can both meet challenges and seize opportunities in a global world.

The principal characteristic of international relations in the 21st century is turning out to be nonpolarity. This is a world dominated not by one or two or even several states but by dozens of actors possessing and exercising various kinds of power. While the United States remains the single most powerful entity, many other states and non-state actors – ranging from China and India to foundations, media organizations, and terrorist groups – are on the rise. Drawing on his groundbreaking article in Foreign Affairs, “The Age of Nonpolarity,” Haass explains the origins and consequences of a nonpolar world and outlines what the United States must do, both at home and on the international stage, to lead efforts to tackle the global challenges that are this era’s greatest threat to peace and prosperity.

Meet Richard Haass

A preeminent, behind-the-scenes statesman, Richard Haass provides an update on the state of the world and the complexities of foreign relations during these tenuous times.

What the United States does beyond its borders matters—both for the world and for the United States itself. Richard Haass is one of the leading experts on U.S. foreign policy and international relations, delivering unparalleled insight into global developments and their consequences for American business leaders, investors and citizens. A visionary thinker who has worked for four presidents, received the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award, and who has led this country’s preeminent foreign policy think tank for more than a decade, Haass provides audiences with an insider’s view of what to expect from and do about turmoil in the Middle East, gathering tension among China, Japan, and others in Asia, and issues ranging from cyber to climate change. A regular guest on morning and Sunday talk shows, Haass combines his experience with clarity of expression to provide detailed, incisive assessments and predictions. He is the author or editor of over 12 books on American foreign policy and one book on management. In his most recently released book, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order, Haass argues that the greatest threat to American national security stems from within: from political dysfunction and from those who would try to do either too much in the world or too little. He lays out a bold but realistic vision on how the US can shape world events, arguing that the U.S. must resist new wars of choice and focus instead on getting entitlements and deficits under control, modernizing its infrastructure, improving its schools, encouraging free trade and reforming immigration policy. His message is stark but essential: Only by getting its own house in order can the U.S. steer global events and prevent the emergence of a world of unprecedented chaos. In his forthcoming book, A World in Disarray (2017), Haass argues from the perspective of an expert and official who has worked in the highest levels of government that the world needs an updated operating system, and analyzes the need for new American foreign policy that reflects a 21st Century world.